Wenatchee airborne speed trap -- Troopers get a pass for +20MPH

[TangoWhiskey]

Des isn't going to like this!

Top state law enforcement officials will face tough questions after audio detailing multiple patrol cars speeding to a conference — and not being pulled over by troopers tasked with stopping speeders — was leaked online.

The audio captured Wednesday details a Washington State Patrol aircraft identifying multiple cars speeding on Highway 2 just outside of Wenatchee. The aircraft relays information to a WSP patrol car on the ground, meant to identify the offender and pull them over to issue a speeding ticket.

However, each time a car is clocked speeding by the plane flying overhead, the patrol car identifies the offending car as another officer on their way to a non-emergency Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) conference.

None of the law enforcement vehicles heard speeding on tape are pulled over, nor the officers driving reprimanded.

“Did I miss a memo today (about speeding),” one of the troopers jokes.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Who cares?

 

[ClimbnSink]

Who cares?

Yeah cops are royalty leave em alone.

 

[Todd Copeland]

I tire of the police state and the hypocracy. I grew up inEast Wenatchee, respecting police and the law. I now live in pittsburgh, Pa., and have learned to dislike the police. I'm a businessman and I find that I never get a serious effort from law enforcement when I have robberies or other illegal activity that hurts my business. But if my alarm goes off a second time by a vendor delivery rather than being robbed I'm summoned to court and have to pay a fine. Message is loud and clear to me. Go after law abiding tax paying citizens and leave the criminals to do what they do. Same attitude displayed by these police in Washington, the law doesn't apply to them, only the citizens. Shameful.

 

[frfly172]

Do as I say not as I do.we should all care,law enforcement seems to be pushing the envelope to see what their boundaries are.

 

[EdFred]

They have no boundaries. They break the law, and get everyone else wearing a badge to cover for them.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

I bet whoever is posting the videos about speeding cops and claiming it is some egregious horrid thing was speeding on the way home to post it on youtube. Boo hoo.

 

[ClimbnSink]

I bet whoever is posting the videos about speeding cops and claiming it is some egregious horrid thing was speeding on the way home to post it on youtube. Boo hoo.

Difference is they could get in trouble for it. Thin blue line of corruption covers all sins big and small.

 

[docmirror]

Ease up there folks. It's clear to everyone that the minority of 99% of the jerk cops are giving the 1% good cops a bad name.

 

[retailguy]

Ease up there folks. It's clear to everyone that the minority of 99% of the jerk cops are giving the 1% good cops a bad name.

Isn't that true everywhere? Don't they still escort you to the checkout at Walmart with your expensive purchase even though you are part of the 99%?

Screw the "easing up" talk...

 

[docmirror]

Isn't that true everywhere? Don't they still escort you to the checkout at Walmart with your expensive purchase even though you are part of the 99%?

Screw the "easing up" talk...

I don't think you captured the sarcasm of my post.

You see, if the normal excuse is; one percent of bad cops, gives the....

Aw screw it, when you have to explain, just not worth it.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

I don't think you captured the sarcasm of my post.



You see, if the normal excuse is; one percent of bad cops, gives the....



Aw screw it, when you have to explain, just not worth it.

#MathIsHard

 

[retailguy]

I don't think you captured the sarcasm of my post.

You see, if the normal excuse is; one percent of bad cops, gives the....

Aw screw it, when you have to explain, just not worth it.

sigh... It's been a very long day....

 

[Corpsmaide]

I've had fellow officers lose their take home privileges and receive paperwork for speeding to training across state. Citizens in Georgia hesitate not to report vehicle numbers. This has happened several times. Officers do get punished for doing dumb stuff at some departments, it's not all thin blue line of corruption covers all sins big and small.

 

[docmirror]

Hey - no one said it was all corruption. A citizen can run across an honest cop once in a while.

 

[Captain]

This JUST in!

Guys who work in doughnut shops get...you're not gonna believe it...FREE doughnuts! I know...and we have to PAY!!!!

Just sayin...who cares? Did you think yesterday cops got speeding tickets? Guess what, they don't. Want that perk too then go be a cop. sheesh..

 

[denverpilot]

They were headed to important gub'mint training.

It was "How to throw grenades in baby cribs and shoot the family dog at the wrong house" day.

Wouldn't want to be late back from lunch for that!

 

[flyingron]

Yep, and then they wonder why speeding is so prevalent in their state.

I have lived in both MD and VA over the years. I find that I never see a state trouper in MD going anywhere near the speed limit. I've had them buzz past me presumably on normal patrol (no lights or siren, etc....) at 90MPH. The normal traffic speeds well in excess of the limit as well.

In VA, unless they're running lights and siren somewhere, the state troupers go the speed limit. As a result, most of the other traffic does close to that as well.

Something about setting a good example....

 

[Clark1961]

I've had fellow officers lose their take home privileges and receive paperwork for speeding to training across state.

/sarcasm

yup, that's equal to paying a fine and increased insurance costs

/sarcasm

Now explain to us why LE shouldn't be subject to the same processes the rest of us face.

 

[ClimbnSink]

I hope they shoot your dog.

This JUST in!

Guys who work in doughnut shops get...you're not gonna believe it...FREE doughnuts! I know...and we have to PAY!!!!

Just sayin...who cares? Did you think yesterday cops got speeding tickets? Guess what, they don't. Want that perk too then go be a cop. sheesh..

 

[denverpilot]

/sarcasm



yup, that's equal to paying a fine and increased insurance costs



/sarcasm



Now explain to us why LE shouldn't be subject to the same processes the rest of us face.

They're better citizens than all the others, don't you know? Did we forget to send you the memo?

 

[docmirror]

Hey - what a coinkedink. Late yesterday I was out in mid-cities, and I had one of my quicker cars. I watched an Arlington cop during rush hour traffic make a u-turn on a red light behind me. He went blasting past with no lights or siren. I decided to follow him and see what was so all-fired important. So - yeah, I was speeding a bit but I kept him in sight. He made a few turns on mixed comm/res streets, and guess what -- rolled right into the local station, got out, took all his stuff and walked into the side door after giving me a nasty look as I sat in my car on the street.

Guess he didn't want to put in ONE SECOND of unpaid overtime. Shift over = illegal u-turn and speeding ok.

 

[LoneAspen]

This reminds me of that highway patrol officer in Florida that pulled over a Miami cop for speeding (something like over 100 MPH I think). Good for the highway patrol officer.

No cop should be above the law. If a cop isn't actively driving toward a call with lights and siren on, they should be held to the same standards as the rest of us.

If a cop's not on a call or pursuing somebody, and going 90 MPH, he should be stopped, cited, fined, and points assessed, just like the rest of us would be.

 

[Clark1961]

They're better citizens than all the others, don't you know? Did we forget to send you the memo?

You guys sent it, I'm forgetful...and I shouldn't be...every day I see how much better they are....bad me


oh darn, I fergot the sarcasm /s

 

[Todd Copeland]

This JUST in!

Guys who work in doughnut shops get...you're not gonna believe it...FREE doughnuts! I know...and we have to PAY!!!!

Just sayin...who cares? Did you think yesterday cops got speeding tickets? Guess what, they don't. Want that perk too then go be a cop. sheesh..

Absurd analogy. Laws apply to everyone. Police are not exempt because they are cops. Do they get to steal? Rape? Murder? Speeding isn't an equivalent to those but the principle is the same. Laws apply to all citizens, especialy cops. They need to be held to an even higher standard or they are just plain unethical hypocrites and worse.

 

[timwinters]

okay...story time.

(Those who attended Gaston's are groaning)

When I was in Harrison, AR working for American Freightways (before FedEx bought us out), it was still a dry county. One of my field supervisors was in town for meetings and after work one evening I picked him up to go get a drink or two. The "county club" was one of only two places in town to do so...I was obviously a member.!

I overheard some guy at the hotel's front desk asking about where he could get a drink, obviously from out of town, so I invoted him to join us.

He did.

Come to find, he was a NY state patrolman transferring a prisoner. AMerican Freightways was in the middle of a NY and New England expansion at the time, I was spending a lot of time up there and we talked about this during the course of the evening's conversations.

At the end of the night he gave me his 'business' card and told me "this is your 'get out of jail free' card." On the back he had written some BS about my hospitality and how I should be given a break if ever pulled over...and he signed it. But he didn't include my name in his short essay.

I took it with me on every trip.

I also make a fair amount of money off of it because I would "rent it out" to cohorts going to NY...and who drove like me.

None of us ever had to use it but it gave us peace of mind when we were running 15 or 20 over 'twixt Albany and Binghampton and Watertown and Rochester and Buffalo and, and!

 

[Vf6cruiser]

And all the motorcycle guys on the board just yawned.........20 over.......lol.......

 

[Gerhardt]

This reminds me of that highway patrol officer in Florida that pulled over a Miami cop for speeding (something like over 100 MPH I think). Good for the highway patrol officer.

Read the rest of the story on this. She (the trooper) was told to not pursue him, to let him go. She disobeyed and was reprimanded. Was brow-beaten by every cop she encountered after that and didn't make it long as a cop after that.

 

[Captain]

I hope they shoot your dog.

That seems unfair to my dog.

 

[Jeff Oslick]

Fortunately, most of the CHP seems to understand that if they slow stuff down to the speed limit in SoCal they'll f-up traffic for miles. The motorcycle CHPs in particular usually get on the freeway and immediately get up to 75 in the carpool lane so the folks behind them will at least keep going 70. I think you need to be doing 80+ or weaving to get a ticket on the LA/OC freeways.

 

[docmirror]

Fortunately, most of the CHP seems to understand that if they slow stuff down to the speed limit in SoCal they'll f-up traffic for miles. The motorcycle CHPs in particular usually get on the freeway and immediately get up to 75 in the carpool lane so the folks behind them will at least keep going 70. I think you need to be doing 80+ or weaving to get a ticket on the LA/OC freeways.

Or DWB. Or looking suspicious(whatever that means). It just lends itself to selective enforcement. I'm not disputing that this is what happens, but it leads to problems that can easily be foreseen. If people are going to go 75 in a 65, then raise the limit to 70 and enforce it. Or - build faster roads like we do in TX.

 

[Jeff Oslick]

Or DWB. Or looking suspicious(whatever that means). It just lends itself to selective enforcement. I'm not disputing that this is what happens, but it leads to problems that can easily be foreseen. If people are going to go 75 in a 65, then raise the limit to 70 and enforce it. Or - build faster roads like we do in TX.

Many sections of the freeways are made for 70+ and are safe at that speed, but I think there are federal rules that keep them from raising the speed limit above 65 mph through urban areas.

 

[TommyG]

Isn't Washington the same state that made the law, that any state politician can't be given a speeding ticket. some crap because they might be on their way for a meeting or a vote. And it doesn't matter where in the state they are.

 

[Ghery]

This was a big issue on the Seattle news for a day, then nothing more. Anything to make the police look bad can be counted on to make the KOMO TV news. Anything.

That said, the spokesman for the WSP was dancing on TV. And as a resident who is less than impressed with the God Complex that the WSP displays all too often, it was fun to watch.

 

[MAKG1]

Fortunately, most of the CHP seems to understand that if they slow stuff down to the speed limit in SoCal they'll f-up traffic for miles. The motorcycle CHPs in particular usually get on the freeway and immediately get up to 75 in the carpool lane so the folks behind them will at least keep going 70. I think you need to be doing 80+ or weaving to get a ticket on the LA/OC freeways.

That's because California has an anti-speedtrap law.

When CHP does slow down traffic, it gets better, as it reduces the speed differential and the resultant hard braking. This is really noticeable in resort areas (where weekend and holiday traffic is worse than weekday) during holidays known for intoxication (when the drunk patrols step up).

 

[Arrow67]

Years ago I used to go out drinking with a cop friend. He always drove. His get out of jail free card (badge), kept him out of jail a couple of times. ****ed me off.

 

[EdFred]

My office neighbor used to be a cop. Ended up pulling over this lady who was absolutely trashed. Like couldn't even stand up trashed. Hauled her off to jail, and the next morning (he was working nights) he get absolutely reamed a new one by the country prosecuting attorney, a county judge, and his CO, because the girl he has sitting in jail was the girlfriend (and assistant) of the prosecuting attorney.

Everything was voided and made to look like it never happened. So it goes beyond just having a badge. We are all second class (at best citizens) if we aren't on the correct side of the blue line.

 

[DeeG]

My co workers were talking about this at work the other day. Oh, those horrible troopers! Really? Almost every one of them (co-workers) has admitted to doing 10 or 20+ over the limit. Or have bragged about how when they did get stopped, they didn't get cited. Where is the outrage there? Oh, wait.... that's different.

I was riding to work through that same stretch on the same day at the same time. It was pretty light traffic. Not many people on the road. Were they endangering anyone? Nope. I was doing 10 over and didn't get stopped.

It doesn't bother me that they were speeding. I honestly don't care. I think about all the times that I have busted traffic laws and have 'gotten away' with it. Be pretty hypocritical of me to be upset at these guys, given how many times I've blasted across Monitor Flats on my Breva (first 40 seconds of video) and up Sunnyslope (grade at 50 seconds) at 80+ knowing damn well there wasn't a trooper within 20 miles.

And if it makes anyone feel better, the cites that were written during that time were dismissed. Damn. Kinda makes me wish I had ridden one of the 'hooligan' bikes that day

 

[JimNtexas]

I used to think that it was one percent of LEOs, judges, and prosecutors who gave the rest a bad name.

I'm starting to think that now it's more like 10-20% of government enforcers and regulators have real mental problems that manifest as oppressive and corrupt actions towards citizens.

And I'm worried that the 80% of government enforcers who want to do the right thing can't or won't reign in their bad colleagues for fear of retaliation.

And certainly I share the impression that government authorities are much more interested in going after law abiding citizens that have fixed addresses, jobs, families, and community connections than they are against professional criminals who are much harder to find and deal with.

 

[ClimbnSink]

The 1% bad apple spin doesn't hold up to 2 seconds of thought. If 99% are good how can the 1% get away with all they do?

I used to think that it was one percent of LEOs, judges, and prosecutors who gave the rest a bad name.

I'm starting to think that now it's more like 10-20% of government enforcers and regulators have real mental problems that manifest as oppressive and corrupt actions towards citizens.

And I'm worried that the 80% of government enforcers who want to do the right thing can't or won't reign in their bad colleagues for fear of retaliation.

And certainly I share the impression that government authorities are much more interested in going after law abiding citizens that have fixed addresses, jobs, families, and community connections than they are against professional criminals who are much harder to find and deal with.